A Nio ES9 on display at the Beijing Auto Show in April 2026. Credit: CnEVPost
- The project, when completed, will house 31 lithium battery testing laboratories, 1 lithium-ion cell pilot line and 1 battery pack line.
- Deliveries of Nio’s flagship SUV, the ES9, have surpassed 1,000 units in Shanghai, making it the first city in China to reach that level.
Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) plans to begin construction of its new battery research and development base in Shanghai in the second half of this year, further cementing the Chinese EV (electric vehicle) maker’s dual-platform layout of “manufacturing in Anhui, R&D in Shanghai.”
The development came from an article published Monday by a WeChat account affiliated with the government of Shanghai’s Jiading district.
The project, which landed in Jiading earlier this year, focuses on the R&D of next-generation power batteries.
Once completed, the base will house 31 lithium battery testing laboratories, 1 lithium-ion cell pilot line and 1 battery pack line, according to the article.
Nio’s global R&D headquarters for its mass-produced vehicles is based in Jiading, where the company has been established for more than a decade.
In Jiading, Nio has built multiple testing centers with a combined floor area of more than 60,000 square meters.
In March this year, the government of Jiading’s Anting town signed a cooperation agreement with Nio to set up the battery R&D base project to Jiading.
Around the same time, Nio Battery Technology (Shanghai) Co, wholly owned by Nio, completed its registration with registered capital of 100 million yuan ($14.7 million).
The Shanghai battery company will focus on advancing the R&D of cutting-edge technologies such as solid-state batteries, which are expected to achieve large-scale application after 2027, local media outlet China Times cited a Nio source as saying at the time.
Nio has already begun making moves in the solid-state battery space, working with multiple companies and research institutions in the industry to explore several technology paths including oxide and sulfide, the report noted.
Nio’s battery strategy has undergone notable adjustments over the past few years. In late 2023, in an effort to cut costs and achieve profitability as soon as possible, the company was reportedly planning to spin off its battery manufacturing unit, outsourcing production while retaining core technology R&D.
While strengthening in-house R&D, Nio is also consolidating its external supply chain. In January this year, the company signed a five-year agreement with CATL (HKEX: 3750) to deepen their strategic cooperation.
The Monday article also mentioned that deliveries of Nio’s flagship SUV (sport utility vehicle), the ES9, surpassed 1,000 units in Shanghai on July 5, making Shanghai the first city in China to deliver more than 1,000 ES9 units.
Earlier, on June 26, Nio’s 10,000th ES9 in China was delivered in Hefei, Anhui.
The model reached 10,000 deliveries just 30 days after going on sale, setting a new record for the fastest delivery of a premium all-electric vehicle in the 500,000-yuan class to break 10,000 units in China’s passenger vehicle market.
The ES9 was officially launched on May 27, with a starting price of 498,000 yuan for the complete vehicle including the battery pack. If consumers opt for the BaaS (battery as a service) battery rental plan, the starting price can drop to 390,000 yuan.
Since deliveries began on May 28, the ES9 ranked first in sales in Shanghai’s 500,000-yuan-class all-electric vehicle market in May in just four days, with a market share of more than 50%, the Monday article said.
From January to May 2026, Nio ranked first in cumulative sales in Shanghai’s overall passenger vehicle market, according to the article.
In June, Nio Inc delivered 40,597 vehicles, a new high for this year and up 62.9% year-on-year.
In the first half of this year, the company delivered a total of 191,123 vehicles, up 67.4% year-on-year.
Li proposes standardizing battery cells and reducing chip varieties to unlock over 100 billion yuan in industry-wide cost savings.
($1 = 6.7805 yuan)
